A/N I swear I was working diligently on my 100 drabble challenge, but then David Guetta's 'She Wolf' started playing and for some reason that song gives me major FemShep/Traynor feels.

Anywho I saw the prompt for this fic while I was digging through kinkmeme one day and wanted to give it a go. It takes place after Cerberus' coup attempt and before the shower scene.

P.S. This is a different Shepard from my other fic. Her name is Allie and she's an Earthborn, Sole Survivor/War Hero (I like to believe all Sheps can have both backgrounds), and a Sentinel (though I blur classification lines a lot)

Off we go!

Spoilers: Mass Effect 1,2, and 3


Fistfight

"Aha! Got it." Sam's cry was triumphant as she pried off the access panel to the Kodiak's comm. channel. Reaching in she gently released the clasps holding the blue box in place and pulled it loose. "Can you hand me the alan wrench? I need to get this case off."

"Do you think the circuit board took any fire, or did we luck out?" Cortez's shadow invaded the small cubbyhole she had crawled into, arm bumping into her thigh as he handed her the requested tool. "Sorry 'bout that."

The specialist shrugged her shoulders as much as the tight space allowed. "Don't worry about it, its not like there's any extra room in here." Or like you meant anything by it. She added mentally. Twisting her arm awkwardly she managed to bring the wrench around the back of the box and began unscrewing the fastenings keeping it connected to the ship. Her wriggling jolted a few of the vent panels, a cloud of dirt puffing out from the cracks. With no way to maneuver into fresh air, Traynor coughed as the dust invaded her airways. "Damnit, I think I found our problem." She rushed to disconnect the last few wires before her lungs fully rebelled. "Aren't you supposed to be cleaning this thing on a regular basis?"

Cortez let out a guilty chuckle. " I run maintenance after every mission, but some of those corners are hard to get into. I don't really have the time to be constantly ripping her open." Hearing an increase in coughing, he patted the leg sticking out of the opening. "You okay?"

Sam grit her teeth as she fought with the final wire, tears already beginning to streak down her face. "Lets just say microscopic particles from alien worlds and I don't exactly get along." Throat constricting, she was relieved when the box was finally freed, and she quickly squirmed out of the shuttle. Once outside she paused for a moment, leaning back against the metal frame and sitting very still while gulping in fresh air.

Cortez kneeled down next to her, brow furrowing in concern. "Should I go get the Doc?"

Sam shook her head, she was feeling better with every inhale and didn't want to cause a fuss if she could avoid it. "I'll be alright," her voice sounded slightly raw, " I just got caught off guard. Next time you need me to go crawling through your deathtrap of a ship to fix something I'll be sure to bring a face mask." A nudge in the ribs let him know she was joking, and he met her smile with his own.

Rising he offered a hand that she gratefully took. Walking over to the nearby workstation she set the box down and switched on a lamp. One look inside confirmed her suspicion; the entire circuit board was covered in grime. She sighed; this was going to take a while to clean out. Curious, Cortez peeked over her shoulder. "So what's the diagnosis?"

"From what I can see I'm fairly certain all the circuit board needs is a good scrubbing. I think a hole got punched somewhere in the cover panels and those dust storms on Tuchanka did the rest." She started to disassemble the board, carefully pulling all the connectors free.

"I did have to patch one of the rear guards, that must have been it." The flight lieutenant nodded in agreement. "And with the exit sealed off the dirt got pulled into the communications network while we were flying around the Citadel."

"Exactly. Fortunately it's an easy fix, if a bit tedious." Rummaging through her tool kit she pulled out the mini-bellows and used the air stream to dislodge the looser particles.

" Well I'll leave you to it, I'm going take this opportunity to clean out the interior while its open." Sam hummed softly in response, already engrossed in her task. As much as she hated dust, cleaning was one of her specialties and she was glad to see any of her skills coming to use. Despite all comments to the contrary she still felt out of place aboard the Normandy. The ship was jammed packed with legendary heroes, each going about impossible tasks like they were everyday chores. Sure she wasn't the only newbie around, but her analyzing abilities paled in comparison to Cortez's flying experience, or Vega's fighting prowess. Then there was the matter of Commander Shepard, or, more specifically, Sam's feelings for her.

It really wasn't a surprise she had a bit of a crush on the commander, especially after the Collector attack on Horizon. However, she was worried at the rate that her feelings were developing. What had started out as a simple fascination was quickly turning into a full-blown infatuation. Sam had figured out what was happening early on and was doing her best to shove those emotions done and out an airlock. Shepard was her commanding officer, it didn't matter how clever, funny, beautiful, or alluring she found the N7; any relationship between them would be against regulations. And that was assuming she'd be interesting in a bumbling comm. specialist anyway.

When Sam had felt the first stirrings of attraction she had made a not so subtle inquiry into the commander's personal life. Joker had caught onto her instantly, immediately launching into several embarrassing questions; the worst being the shouted 'Can I watch?' as she had fled the cockpit. Mortified, she had avoided talking to any of the crew for several days after. Then, one morning, her self-imposed isolation ended when she looked up from her work console to find the Normandy's resident information broker standing next to her.

Liara had been blunt and to the point, wasting no time in explaining to Traynor the reason behind her visit. The maiden had heard about her attempts to learn more about the commander and wanted to warn the specialist before she went to far. Apparently the archaeologist had learned the hard way that Shepard hated it when people went snooping around for information on her. "If you have any questions about her, it'd best if you just ask her yourself. Otherwise she's likely to become irritated at you." She had said. "I know she's quite intimidating, but I've yet to hear of her turning down a crewmate that wanted to talk."

Sam had nodded her head mutely, and Liara had given her an understanding smile. Sometimes something as simple as 'just talking' was incredibly complicated. They had chatted for a few more moments, and just before she left Liara had taken some pity on the sullen human. "As for your earlier investigation, I know the Commander is not currently involved with anyone." Walking away, the asari winked over her shoulder. "Any other details you'll just have to work out for yourself."

Sam snorted, earning a confused glance from Cortez. Waving him off, she set aside the bellows and went to work with the polisher, gently scraping away the gunk still stuck to the resistors. She had been trying to talk to the commander, but somehow their conversation topics always ended up being about her. Shepard was a master of deflection. She deftly skirted around her own past and conned Sam into talking more about her time in R&D before the specialist could think twice about it. A big part of Sam desperately wanted to rise to the challenge of winning over the mysterious woman, but she was doing her best to stamp it out. She was serving on a frontline ship in the middle of the worst invasion this galaxy had ever seen, now was not the time to pull stunts like she had back in Uni.

The sound of the elevator stopping behind her snapped her from her thoughts. Curious, she paused her work to check out the newcomers. It was unusual for anyone to visit the hangar when there was no upcoming mission, and Sam knew the next departure wouldn't be until they reached the Ismar Frontier tomorrow afternoon. So, naturally, she was a little stunned by the sight the opening elevator doors revealed.

Commander Allison Shepard and Lt. Commander Ashley Williams were both dressed in outfits far different from what the specialist normally saw them in. The second human spectre had her hair tied back in its usual bun, but her officer uniform had been replaced by a tight fitting, white camisole and sports bra; the Alliance symbol emblazoned on the left shoulder. Light blue shorts completed the ensemble and Sam would by lying is she said she didn't appreciate the way the outfit accentuated her, uh, womanly assets. Still, as gorgeous as Ashley was, it was the woman standing next to her that stole the specialist's breath away.

Like her 2IC the commander's hair was done up in a tight knot, though a few rebellious strands had slipped free to frame her face. Absently Shepard reached up the brush the tufts out of her eyes, the motion stretching her torso and bringing Sam's attention to her gloriously bare abs. Although Ashley had chosen to wear two layers, Shepard had forgone a second top, choosing instead a deep red sports bra that ended just above her ribcage. Between that and the low-slinging sweatpants Traynor was hard pressed to keep her jaw off the floor. The N7 was all muscle, clearly built like a soldier that engaged in frequent, heavy combat. However, there was softness to her body as well, the hard planes of sinew giving way to gentle curves in all the right places. Sam's fingers twitched as she imagined what it would be like to trail her nails across that stomach, to feel those muscles spasm and tighten in reaction to her touch. Or if she were to take her tongue…

Tearing her gaze away from the commander's tan abdomen she violently shook her head. Bloody hell Sam! That's your commanding officer. You can't start acting like some horny teenager just because she's wearing less than usual. Despite her chastising thoughts, she couldn't help but sneak one more glance as the two women passed by the workbench. However, instead of getting another eyeful of luscious skin, her gaze was met with Shepard's.

Ice blue eyes stared into her brown ones for a heartbeat, a teasing look flitting across the commander's face. Then, with a wink, the sentinel turned away, laughing at something Williams said. Blushing deeply Sam spun around, nearly knocking the communications box onto the floor. Ignoring Cortez's suspicious look, she scrambled to right the circuit board; desperately hoping no one else was witness to the blunder. Keeping her head down and eyes fixated on the filthy partitions she did her best to keep her attention on the task in front of her.

Unfortunately for her neither Shepard nor Ashley seemed willing to quietly disappear. Sam had just started to brush underneath the capacitors when James' booming call rang throughout the hanger.

"Hey hey hey. Lola, Chika, what's up? You two just here for a visit, or is there something that only this shining example of masculinity can help you with?" Unable to resist, Sam raised her head slightly, just enough so that she could see the three soldiers in the edge of her vision. Vega was in his usual spot by the weapons bench, busy flexing his biceps for two very unimpressed women.

As soon as the Latino turned his back Ashley reached forward, jabbing her fingers into his shoulder and knocking him off balance. Scoffing at his attempts to right himself, she moved past him to one of the storage lockers. " I'm just here to finish something that your," she raised one hand, the fingers bent into quotation marks, " 'shining example of masculinity' couldn't." Interest now fully peaked (as if it wasn't already) Sam watched as the marine continued to dig around in the small compartment. Careful to keep from outright staring, she saw Williams pull out four rolls of wrap and toss them to Shepard. The commander caught them with ease and sat down on a nearby crate. Ashley, who had grabbed another set of wraps, soon joined her.

"Hey now, I've never left a job unfinished. How about you come play with me Lola? Papi will show the cynic here how it's done." Vega weaved back and forth, punching outwards at a nonexistent target. Shepard looked up from where she had begun to unroll the thick fabric. "I'm afraid there's only so many ways I can toss you on your ass James. Williams might not be as brawny as you but what she lacks in strength she certainly makes up for in, ah, creativity."

Oh God. If this conversation was going on between anyone else Sam would be convinced it was about sex. Actually I'm not one hundred percent sure it isn't. Once again swapping tools she kept up her discrete observation while continuing to clean the pieces of the board. Vega had retreated back to his work, leaving the two women in temporary peace. Apparently Sam had been too distracted earlier to notice that both Ashley and Shepard were barefoot, as they each were wrapping up their feet and shins before moving onto their wrists and hands. Once their extremities were appropriately padded they moved to the center of the empty landing pad, each swinging their arms and loosening up their shoulders.

They're not going to… She felt her blush grow even darker as the spectres stretched. Sam knew she really should leave. There was no way in the entire galaxy that she could ignore two beautiful women getting all sweaty and worked up right in front of her. Still the Normandy's comm. specialist couldn't bring herself to go, choosing instead to continue her ruse of work. Once both women were properly limber Shepard and Ashley took opposing positions, each settling into their own beginning posture.

Sam recognized Ashley's as one they learned in basic training. With her right foot forward and hands covering her face, the younger human shifted her weight back and forth, bouncing to an internal beat. Shepard's stance was different, the commander instead choosing a wide squat, her body turned slightly away from her opponent. She kept her right fist loosely near her face, while her dominant left was tucked into her side.

Ashley eyed her CO contemplatively, a small smirk on her face. " Remember, no fair using your biotics. I want to see how well you fare without your space fairy magic."

If Shepard was annoyed by the taunt, she showed no sign of it. Rolling her shoulders she gave the younger human a bored look. "I think Vega can tell you I don't need any help putting mouthy subordinates in their place."

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Then suddenly, as if an invisible bell had rung, Ashley lunged forward, fist aimed squarely at Shepard's jaw. Dancing around the blow, the N7 attempted to twist around behind Williams. However, she was thwarted when Williams spun on her heel; the flat of her palm making striking firmly against Shepard's cheek. Giving her opponent no time to recover she pushed forward with a viscious assault of punches. Doing her best to block the blows, Shepard inched backwards, seemingly unfazed by the lost ground.

Sam was amazed at the Normady's CO's composure. She could hear each punch connecting with a solid 'thud' even from her position over a dozen feet away. While Ashley wasn't as bulky as James, she was certainly no slouch. Traynor knew that every strike was being dealt with the marine's full body, and they had to hurt.

Pausing her onslaught, Ashley feinted an uppercut and then squatted down, swinging one foot into Shepard's knees to sending her toppling. For a split second it seemed she would be victorious but then, instead of simply crumpling to the ground, Shepard leaned into the fall. Bending backwards in one fluid motion, she brought her hands to the ground and kicked outwards, catching Ashley in the chest and forcing her away. Pushing upwards from the ground, Shepard continued her spinning motion, advancing on Ashley with a series of roundhouse kicks. Neatly blocking, Ashley responded with her own, only to have Shepard dance away once again. The pace of the fight picked up substantially from there, arms and legs striking in fast succession as the two women fought for dominance.

"Nice show, isn't it?" Sam startled at Cortez's whisper in her ear. Having snuck up on her a while ago, he couldn't resist teasing her a bit. They had found each other earlier on in the Normandy's retrofit; each relieved to find someone else with a similar inclination. Even though homosexuality didn't have nearly the stigma it did a hundred years ago, there were still those that could be touchy about the subject. Despite their alliance, he still loved to watch her squirm whenever the commander was present, and often did whatever he could to exacerbate the situation.

Seeing no reason in trying to bumble through a lie when Cortez could clearly see the red smattered across her cheeks, Sam mutely nodded her head. Normally she didn't see the appeal in watching two women attempting to beat each other into submission, as it seemed brutish and degenerate. But this wasn't about who could do more bench presses, or swing a mallet with more force. This was purely about survival. It was a demonstration between squadmates on their capabilities, each one doing their best to prove they could be trusted to watch the other's back. It required as much, if not more, tactical thinking as one of the many strategy games she played.

And watching was seriously doing a number on her libido.

By now the fight was starting to take its toll on the competitors. Both soldiers were flushed with exertion and breathing heavily. Ashley's lip was split and Shepard had a shallow gash above her eyebrow, probably earned when Williams tossed her into the crates a few moments ago. Heedless of their wounds they continued to pound on each other, neither one willing to admit defeat. Then, as quickly as it began, the fight was over.

The younger spectre had once again boxed her superior into a corner, mercilessly raining down punches. Only this time, instead of retreating Shepard held her ground until Ashley was directly in front of her. Then, well Sam really couldn't be certain of what happened next. Just as Ashley took another step forward Shepard curled into herself, shoulders shifting to dig into William's midsection. Somehow she contorted her body around the other woman's, using her momentum to send Ashley airborne. Traynor's eye widened as she watched Shepard's body twist. Her imagination really, really did not need to add 'flexible' to the list of the commander's attributes.

Keeping one hand on Ashley's stomach, and the other on her shoulder, Shepard flipped her through the air and forcefully slammed her down. Hitting the floor so hard that she bounced slightly, Ashley had the breath crushed from her lungs and was unable to retaliate as she was pinned. Using her knees to hold Ashley's arms against her sides the commander sat on her chest, forearms forming an X over her opponent's throat.

For a moment neither marine moved. Then Shepard leaned back and smirked down at her pinned squadmate. "Looks like you won't be finishing anything today Williams. Pity, I was hoping you'd put up more of a challenge."

Wriggling around, but seeing no way to break free, Ashley blew out a breath in frustration. "Yeah Yeah. Play it tough all you like, but we both know you're gonna be just as sore as me tomorrow." Chuckling Shepard stood up and helped Ashley to her feet. A look of understanding passed between them, and Shepard patted her friend on the shoulder before walking away.

With a jolt Sam realized the commander was headed straight for her and Cortez. Rushing to make it look like she hadn't just been ogling her commanding officer, she fumbled with the parts scattered on the workbench. In her haste to get busy her hand knocked against the bellows and activated it, the sudden airstream sending a puff of dust and grime straight into her face. Tears sprang immediately to her eyes and she stumbled backwards as she hacked and coughed.

An arm reached out to steady her. "Jesus Traynor, if your so allergic to this stuff you really should be wearing a mask." Gripping his shoulder the specialist once again found herself struggling to catch her breath.

A second voice chimed in. "Everything okay here?"

Please no. Not now. Not when I look like this.

Through her blurry vision Sam saw the commander's figure approach. Shepard stopped in front of the two, concerned eyes trained on Sam as she wheezed for breath.

"Commander." Cortez nodded his head in respect. Sam straightened as best she could, but her lungs refused to settle and so she was unable to give a proper answer. Lucky for her Cortez was more than willing to lend a helping hand "Specialist Traynor here is just having a bit of trouble with some dust. Seems like Tuchanka is determined to take down our crew one way or another."

"Does she need the Doctor?" The question was directed at Steve, but Shepard's eyes remained on her.

"Nah she'll be fine, just needs to stop sniffing communication circuits to see if they're dirty." Oh she was going to kill him when she could breathe again. Here they were standing next to a woman who had survived geth, thresher maws, batarian raids, rogue spectres, reapers, and death itself and he was poking fun at how she was practically choking from one whiff of dust.

Shepard hummed lightly in thought and then stepped closer, hand extended outwards. When Sam backed away in surprise, she gave her a reassuring grin. "Easy Traynor, I'm just going to help. Now hold still, this might tingle a bit."

Nervously she did as she was told, but she couldn't stop from stiffening as a gloved hand pressed against her upper chest. There was a flare of blue light, and instantly her entire respiratory system seized up. However, it last only a second and as the commander pulled away she felt the spasms subside, allowing her to breathe normally.

Shepard eyed her critically, searching for any sign of discomfort. "How's that?"

Traynor stared at her in amazement. "It's, it's wonderful. What did you do?" She took several deep inhales, relishing the fresh air.

"Nifty little biotic trick. Really useful on the battlefield for soldiers that get the wind knocked out of them." Shepard rested her hip against the bench and crossed her arms

Vaguely Sam was aware of Cortez wandering off, leaving the two of them alone. "Well I appreciate it, means I can get back to work sooner, instead of sitting here hacking up a lung."

They both laughed softly at the jest, eyes locking gaze. Shepard studied her, an unreadable expression on her face. "I'm glad, I couldn't very well stand by and let something happen to my favorite comm. specialist." She straightened. "I'd better go clean up, I can't imagine I smell very good right now."

Traynor wanted to protest. To tell the commander that she really didn't mind the musty scent of sweat, but her mind had stalled out. Shepard had called Sam her favorite specialist. Not the Normandy's, hers. Watching the N7's retreated form, she came to a decision. Come hell or high water she was going to do her best to win over the gentle marine who had taken root in her heart. Damn fraternization regulations and whatever wanker had thought of them in the first place. She wasn't about to let some silly rules come between her and her potential happiness.

I hope you have your bets made Commander, because you're about to be playing a whole different kind of game. And I play for keeps. Smiling to herselfshe resumed her work on the circuit board, but her mind was focused on a different task; how to seduce the galaxy's number one hero.


A/N

Woohoo done. I actually came to like this fic idea more and more as I was writing it. It has several elements in it that I think are missing from the game. Like,

How quickly Shepard and Sam go from being strangers to having hot shower sex after like 3 minutes worth of conversation. I think this plot shows a bit more of Sam's interest in Shepard, and how she comes to the decision of trying to seduce her. Also I would like to note that Allie is a complete blockhead when it comes to stuff like this. She might look like she's flirting, but really she just thinks she's being friendly (not that she doesn't want to flirt, it just doesn't occur to her that that is what's happening). Honestly it takes being whacked hard across the face with the truth (or having a stunningly beautiful naked woman in her shower with the door open) before she catches on. And I like to think Sam will take heavy advantage of that in the future.

Shepard and Ashley's reconciliation. At the point in which this story takes place neither one of them is sure of what to make of the other. They used to be really close, but the events of Mass Effect 2 and the Citadel coup really put a strain on their relationship. I think this fight was a way of them not only working out their frustrations, but also proving to each other they still are friends and teammates.

Anyway I'll be getting back to work on my drabbles, but I'm also planning to…. wait do you hear that? It almost sounds like someone whispering something….

Review….reviewwwwwwwwwww….. Review!.

Oh yeah! As the creepy voice says, please remember to R&R, I love hearing back from readers.